So...now comes the million dollar question: If you had roughly $1,500 and change to spend on a bike and accessories and services what would YOU get?

My bike is a Fuji women's road bike. It is carbon with shimano gearing....and it is pretty much perfect for my needs. With the pedals, and accessories it has cost me about $2200 AUD. I bought it from a bike shop and they fitted me, as I am only 5ft2"( or maybe not quite), so I needed a small frame. My wheels are factory and the only additional things I have bought is a speedo/cadency thingy which is great when it works.... I used it today to gauge how I was going....and realised I could not go any faster.

So glad that you are feeling better, it really is best to give your body time to recover.. as annoying as it is you will come back stronger if you do that.

Felicity

Look online, I am sure that there are lots of sites, or have a look for a 2nd hand one. I would def have bought 2nd hand but there was none for my size.

Felicity...all I can say is...WOW!! Congratulations you really threw down the gauntlet!! Your times are fantastic especially your swim and with no wetsuit to boot! Amazing race I must say you should be very proud! I doubt I will be able to touch that! You would have killed me in the swim (and trust me I would have been wearing my wetsuit) and my times for the bike and run would be very similar.

Jacki I learn something each time I swim and it just keeps getting better. I like your choices for bikes both are excellent mid entry level bikes. I have a Cannondale 10, it is a full carbon road bike that I bought on-line. Plenty enough bike for this cowboy! You can get some pretty amazing deals on-line if you know what you want/need that is for sure. Mine was practically brand new and came with accessories and I got it for about half off the new price!

Jason I am going to try this next week just pulling consistently through my stroke. Up till now I have been pulling hard and fast, ripping through the water almost as fast as I can. So I need to tone that down. I imagine as I am writing this that you are most likely racing or even already finished. I hope it went well for you! I am excited for your Columbia race too! You should be feeling ten feet tall and bullet proof by now with all the training you have been putting in!

So today is the big day for me...committing to a couple of different races! Makes me nervous already! haha

May 19th - Genesis Place (where I train) a down sized Sprint, 500m pool swim, 20k bike and 5k run. A little early in the year for me but I cannot find a race in June that will suit my schedule. It will be good if nothing else just for the added experience and to see where my fitness levels are and what I need to concentrate on.

July 14th - Lake Invermere, full Sprint 750m open water lake swim, 20k bike (in the Rocky mountains, so lots of big hills) and 5k run

August 11th - Lake Chaparral, Olympic distance and my "A" race for this year! 1.5 km open water lake swim, 40k bike and 10k run

I was really hoping to get outside on my bike this weekend but has been blowing a gale and so will confine myself to the treadmill (sound familiar David!) and get in a 10k this aft! Happy training all! Howard

okay I lied...I just registered for all three events and the Sprint distance race at Genesis Place is actually a 750m pool swim! They must have updated/corrected the site in the last couple of weeks. So it is a full distance Sprint!

I was a little tired today and had to ride the trainer. I didn’t want to do a hard interval since I did that yesterday; luckily, I got interested in a Car Warriors TV episode so I forced myself to stay on the trainer. I decided to wear my tri-shorts instead of my bike shorts and I was a little more comfortable so I may just stick with the tri-shorts or shop for less padded bike shorts.

Howard—I understand the nervousness but it is good to have the commitments now. How do they get a 750 meter swim in a pool? I’ve heard that some races may actually have a two-way going in each lane but I’m not sure if they really do that. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the pool sprints I’ve been in had only one direction for each lane so there is some room to pass but there is only a limited number of lanes for each pool. 750m is 15 50m lanes or 30 25m lanes.

Felicity—I’m with Howard, your race times are excellent. I see that you are pleased with the run; was the swim and bike in your “normal” range? I would love to have those times.

Jacki—Glad that you are back in training. I did my first couple of sprint triathlons last summer with a big steel 1980’s Raleigh bike. I ended up buying a nice used carbon Specialized bike. I still probably spent more than I should have. I am a little embarrassed because it is a bike that a very good bike racer would own and not someone as slow as me.

OK first....I got my first ever REAL road bike. I picked out what I wanted in the LBS and unfortunately it cost $1399 before any bells and whistles....I decided I would probably just go ahead and buy it, but FIRST I'd check Craigslist for a couple weeks and see if there was a similar used one for sale. Well....just my luck the same day the same bike in last year's model in the exact same size was for sale for asking price of $850...I drove an hour to test ride it, liked it, talked the girl down to $800 and now I am the proud owner of a lightly used 2012 Trek Lexa SLX!!

Today, I had a workout planned with 2 friends who are getting into tri, and one experienced triathlete. I did my first ever OWS and tried out my wetsuit for the first time. I have a mild to moderate swim phobia (it's getting better, after today I'd call it a mild swim phobia). The water just broke 50 degrees F this morning, yesterday it was 49....so.....COLD!!!!

My goal was to swim 400 meters, I ended up doing 650. It was VERY difficult and I had to rest a lot...and the wind and current were pushing me the wrong way every time I rested....but the good news is I completed it. I felt very dizzy like I was going to barf near the end, but kept it together.

Then I hopped on my new bike and rode 17.5 miles to my friend's house, then we ran 1.5 miles through his neighborhood (well, he ran 6 miles, us newbies ran less).

ALl in all a good day with a lot of exciting firsts.....but....I may have overdone it...I can barely move.

Howard and David. Thanks for the pat on the back.....I looked up the official results and the times are pretty close to my garmin times except that they added T1 and T2 onto the bike leg...so officially it was 45mins (my transitions are awfully slow).

In terms of how I felt during the race, the swim was great....I am a swimmer but had only been in the pool a few times in the weeks proceeding....definitely not 3x a week as I had had a cold and its best to keep out then. I am not a very experienced open water swimmer though, so sighting is my main weakness. The pace that I had is probably where I want it to be for the Olympic and have noticed that with swimming my pace does not change much.....I will be donning the wetty and starting ocean baths laps now that my local pool ( around the block from my house) is closed for the winter. Hoping that I will buy some time with the wetsuit in saltwater as this swim was a freshwater one.

The bike again was good....I had hoped to get up to 35km/hr and sit there, but did not have the power or endurance to keep it up. In the end the speed was average of just under 30km/hr and the ride was very flat in 5km loops....although there was a headwind and slight uphill on the return.

Howard I agree that signing up for the events gives you something to aim for..... the triclub events are usually in a 50m pool and they put bouys in the water and make it a 100m loop....and don't have to worry about lanes.

David the Mississippi event looks like a good one to test your training on... I am pretty sure that the one I am doing in Cairns in June is flat...although the run is apparently on hard sand.

Jacqui you have a bike! Fantastic and a bargain as well. Sounds like you are really getting into it.. I think it would be great to have someone to train with. It is just a bit impossible for me though to fit into various schedules. Not many people get a chance to practice OWS so it is great that you have that opportunity. Its one thing to be a good swimmer and quite another to be able to swim without seeing the bottom, or lines!

I will try and get around to posting my race today.....but I have a question for everyone.....Do you use HR zones? If so how did you determine them and what are they.....and how do you train with them.

Felicity - Looks like you are still very strong for being sick like you were. Should be a big confidence booster for you coming off a race like that!

Jacki - Ride, Ride and then ride some more! That is a great Craigslist find and now you can use the extra money to get some other things that will help, assuming you dont have them already. Clipless pedal and shoes, clip on aerobars, maybe even an aero helmet. All come at a minimal cost and will help save minutes on the bike.

Howard and David - With races coming up i know you will both kill it! Looks like some solid racing schedules!

Going to add a couple blog posts hopefully today! One will be a race report from Sunday's Criterium and another triathlon related post that I've been wanted to write about since I have been slacking a little. 3 weeks out from Columbia Tri and I am in my final "hard" week of training. Basically building up all the speed this week and testing the body. After putting myself deep inside the pain cave at the race Sunday, this morning I started off my Monday with a nice tempo run in the rain! I love running in the rain, it is exhilirating. 15 minute warm up, followed by 20 minute tempo and 10 minute cool down. Ticked off 6:24 minute miles for the tempo portion and felt like I was pretty comfortable at that pace for a 10k. Big confidence booster for me this close to the race!!!!

I felt very dizzy like I was going to barf near the end, but kept it together. Sounds like me after my spin class this morning! I went a little to hard and felt a little "green" after it was done! Tummy has settled out now, thank goodness!

ALl in all a good day with a lot of exciting firsts.....but....I may have overdone it...I can barely move. This sounds like me a couple of weeks back when I got back into working out my legs! Had a couple of non-training days as a result!

I think tomorrow will be an unscheduled rest day.

David, how do they get a 750 m swim in a pool? Not easily let me tell you....they are putting four guys in per lane fastest guy goes first, slowest last (makes sense) You can pass but they recommend only on the ends. I had a guy tell me that if you touch the persons foot in front that person should stop for a few seconds at the end of the lane and you pass them at that time. Another unfortunate part is that the pool is only 25 m long so we are doing 30 lengths which kind of sucks. So we will for sure get it done but I would way rather do it in open water without all that stop and go! My Olympic race is fairly flat with an open water swim. There is one big hill on the bike course which sucks the wind and legs out from under you but the run is as easy as a run can get when it comes to being flat...yeah me! Last years race was a sanctioned race (this year is as well) and the water temp rose just enough that the racers were not permitted to wear their wet suits. You should have heard the groans from the crowd when they made that announcement! The way the spring has started off here, I can hardly think that will be an issue this year (fingers crossed)!

Felicity I don't use HR for training. I get curious from time to time so I will check it occasionally but find it a nusiance more than anything! Like today during my spin class....I am sure I was way out of the "zone" but don't really care. I was making some good progress and just wanted to keep rolling as hard as I can for as long as I can! Maybe that isn't smart for someone my age...I'll just keep my head in the sand and go!!

Jason I don't know about "killing it" right now I'll settle for badly wounded! Ahhahahaha! Looking forward to reading the blog later!

Felicity - I used to use HR zones, but truthfully they are not real reliable. HR is typically delayed from what is actually going on presently so it can be misleading. Below are some good articles to read.

Howard--my mind went blank yesterday; I remember now that you already told me about swimming in one lane for the whole race and having someone keep count. Still, it is an interesting format.

Jacki--That was great luck on the used bike! I would have bought new if the used one hadn't presented itself at the right time. That open water swim will be a huge benefit when it comes to being comfortable in a race; great experience. That whole workout was pretty big.

Felicity--I got a HR strap when I got the bike trainer for this past winter. I wear it on the bike but mainly set my training efforts based on feel for bike and running. I went through the process of determining my LT thresholds for bike and run. If going at a steady pace, the HR may be a somewhat accurate measure of effort but when doing intervals, the HR lags behind the effort; it will usually settle if I can stay at an effort level long enough. I think it gives me an idea once it peaks for each interval but I don't really follow it while I'm training. (hope that makes sense) I can get a HR reading from the handles on the treadmills at my gym and I'll check that every mile or two if I'm trying to stay at an easy to moderate level but usually just go by feel because I don't know if my initial training and establishment of zones was accurate.

So Jason I really concentrated on my stroke last night in the pool and just did a steady pull. Or at least attempted too! It didn't affect my stroke count much but it did help my breathing and that affects my comfort level which naturally improved as a result. Stroke count is still in the 24-26 range (pretty consistently) but is better than the 29-31 that I was doing. The whole swim felt "smoother", best way I can describe it. So slowly but surely improving! Once again enjoyed reading the blog, your races sound so exciting! Later, Howard

Thanks about the info about the HR Jason. I have found it all confusing and there are as many theories on improving running as there are religions. People are just as passionate about their theory as well.

The thing that I have noticed since using the HRM is that when I first started exercising (about 2yrs ago), and did the C25K, my HR would go up to 182 after 2mins of running at 8-8.5km/hr. So I was pretty unfit!

Now, my HR rarely gets over 180. In fact in all the events I have been in lately I can't recall it happening (it does sometimes spike, but I am not convinced it is correct). On the whole my HR sits around the 165-168 mark. In a spin class, which I try and do once a week I have to really push to get it over 170 when it used to be there all the time.

So my question is, does this all mean that I am getting fitter and how do you work out the HR that you should train at from all of this, or do you just go on how it feels?

Am I being lazy now that my HR is not so high....it doesn't feel like it.

So I can't believe my luck! I took the 20 week Olympic training calendar (2x balanced) and worked it backwards from my Olympic distance race in August. It just so happened that my training "recovery weeks" fall on the week that my two Sprint races are on! So I can kind of use my recovery weeks as a taper week for my races! SWEET! Howard

Howard--its nice when the schedules fit like that. I've been doing the 3x balanced knowing that I would miss a few workouts now and then. I never got my bike training times up to where they are supposed to be. You may be able to fit some extra workouts in now and then with the 2x; especially think about adding an additional short to medium run when you can.

I felt a little nauseous and achy yesterday evening and had to give up on the trainer after 50 minutes of a mild workout. I went to sleep early and felt much improved this morning and did fine in the pool. So I plan to run this afternoon and it will likely be on the treadmill. Scattered storms again today and the cold front is bringing us cold rain for the weekend.

Got my first out door run of the year in last night! It was 50 degress F/10 degrees C and the wind was calm for a change. I was slightly overdressed but not to bad. I got the opportunity to use my ipod for the first time and enjoyed that as well. Did 8km/4.97mi in almost exactly 45 minutes. I was a little dissappointed with that time initially but when compared to last years efforts it was on par if not a little better in some cases. So I am encouraged that I will be able to build on where I am at and be able to take it to the next level soon. The only injury (if you can call it that) I really suffer from is that my right foot falls asleep during my run. Usually starts around the 3-4 km mark. I can walk it off and go again but it is REALLY annoying! May have to look at some proper orthodics.

David I hear what your saying. I was planning on upping the cardio and dropping my weight training a little closer to my race, like about 6 weeks before. I do wonder if I place to much emphasis on my weight/strength training at times and wonder if I shouldn't scale that back. Seems hard for me to do for some reason! When do you guys drop the weights and concentrate soley on the SBR? Thanks, Howard

Felicity - A lower HR can certainly mean better fitness or it can mean you just didn't push hard enough. Resting HR is usually a good indicator of fitness. If your resting HR drops over time then you are typically more fit. The problem with HR is that each day can be different. Some days you are fatigued and your body has to work harder (higher HR) to do the same amount of work you did last week with a lower average HR. Hence why I canned the HR monitor and decided to train by feel. I've gotten so used it that I can almost pin point my running pace.

David - Keep at it bud. Make sure you are getting the recovery you need. Protein after workouts help a lot in aiding muscles from the hard workouts.

Howard - Glad to hear your swim training is coming along. Small victories count! As far as weight training goes, I feel it is very important to triathlons. Keep at it all year long. I ease my weights up 3 weeks out from race (not as heavy), then 2 weeks outs I may lift once or twice full body but again light weights and the week before I do no lifting. After the race pick back up. Sometimes there is a fine line between how much you lift. If you lift to much you may not get all the potential SBR key workouts, but at least you are improving your fitness and which will really help SBR. On the flip side if you don't lift or don't lift enough you may get in key SBR workouts, but you may not have the strength to really reach your potential! So all in all you need to find a balance, but I lean more towards having a steady routine!

On to me...It has been one hell of a week! This is my last hard week before Columbia 5150 and it has been brutal. Monday was a 3 mile tempo run at 10k pace followed by 3 minute tempo intervals on the bike. Tuesday, a 40k TT ride. Need to make a few adjustments to the bike position, but overall I was happy with the effort and time. Wednesday started with a good swim in the morning and for the evening my training crit race, which is always a guaruntee to put you in the red! This morning saw my legs come to an end and trashed! Morning speed session in the pool then right over to the track for 6x1 mile repeats with 4 minutes rest between. All were done between 5:39-5:45/mile! Number 6 put me on the edge, but i closed hard to stay within the goal and then I proceeded to just collapse on the track afterwords. I layed there for about 10 minutes before I even attempted to move. I did this same workout back in the end of February early March and could only hold ~6:05/mile, so that is a huge improvement!! Now just sitting at my desk my legs are hurting! Someone get me an ice bath!

On to me...It has been one hell of a week! This is my last hard week before Columbia 5150 and it has been brutal. Monday was a 3 mile tempo run at 10k pace followed by 3 minute tempo intervals on the bike. Tuesday, a 40k TT ride. Need to make a few adjustments to the bike position, but overall I was happy with the effort and time. Wednesday started with a good swim in the morning and for the evening my training crit race, which is always a guaruntee to put you in the red! This morning saw my legs come to an end and trashed! Morning speed session in the pool then right over to the track for 6x1 mile repeats with 4 minutes rest between. All were done between 5:39-5:45/mile! Number 6 put me on the edge, but i closed hard to stay within the goal and then I proceeded to just collapse on the track afterwords. I layed there for about 10 minutes before I even attempted to move. I did this same workout back in the end of February early March and could only hold ~6:05/mile, so that is a huge improvement!! Now just sitting at my desk my legs are hurting! Someone get me an ice bath!

NICE!! .....and a touch crazy! LOL! You 'da MAN Jason! Will be looking to rejoin the group once it all gets set up!

Howard--I quit lifting weights in January when I started the 3x program. If I'd gone 2x I probably would have stuck with them. I am ready to get back to the weights but I won't until after my Olympic in a few weeks. I just didn't trust my endurance base when starting the 20-week plan. I haven't done many run intervals either so I am thinking more and more of treating this race as almost all endurance and just want to maintain a pace that I can finish with. I can see how the weights will bring out the potential for power and speed.

While Jason was lolly-gagging around the track and taking breaks today I ran an hour on the treadmill non-stop. I think I've still got a little bug because I really felt awful even though I ran the slowest pace I've run in a while. I plan to get plenty of fluids and sleep tonight. Jason will probably pad his logs claiming the 10 minutes he laid out on the track crying for his mama as some kind of anti-kryptonite routine.

Jason--I'm planning to sign up with the new mentor thread when its up. It looks like you have pushed your run to a new level to go along with your already high level swim and bike.

Good luck in any events this weekend everyone. Is this your Oly weekend Jason?

I did my normal 5km NewyParkrun this morning and did another PB.. still waiting on the confirmation of time.

Jason I cannot believe the amount that you train.... how do you concentrate at work? I get up at 5am usual start exercising at 6am for an hour most mornings. I tend to fall asleep by 9pm.

My race log is up from last week.... hope it is not too boring!

So this morning I did try and do my lactic threshold during parkrun and not sure what it all means....I think my max Hr has come down. Not sure what it all means though.

I really pushed myself this morning and still not under 28mins for the 5km.....but I have improved since starting to run (from the couch). When I feel down about my times I try to reflect on where I have come from (doing a 5km run in 37mins being exhausted but proud).

My adrenaline is always pumping Felicity! Some morning at work I require a couple energy drinks but normally I'm okay. I'm a morning person so easy for me to wake up, but my wife is a night owl so sometime getting to bed by 10 is a far stretch haha. I'm pretty motivated so that helps and my goals are pretty lofty haha.

swimmer04 - 2013-05-06 10:31 AMMy adrenaline is always pumping Felicity! Some morning at work I require a couple energy drinks but normally I'm okay. I'm a morning person so easy for me to wake up, but my wife is a night owl so sometime getting to bed by 10 is a far stretch haha. I'm pretty motivated so that helps and my goals are pretty lofty haha.

Well I guess that might be because I don't energy drinks (I have never tried them, unless you mean gatorade). I am afraid that my drink in the morning is a decafe coffee.